Desires of the Soul
by Marie Writer
Summary: Emma's soul desires more than what she believes is possible; but after finding out she was the daughter of Snow White and Charming, and that fairy tales are non - fiction, is her dream so farfetched after all? In a world that shouldn't exist is the impossible... possible?
1. Chapter 1

_I know I already wrote Graham coming back one way… but after seeing the season premiere… I have another idea. Just what I think should happen with Emma and Graham if they do bring him back. It has no relation to my previous Graham and Emma story at all… Graham stayed dead even after the curse was broken._

_Emma and her mother, Snow, get sucked into a world that shouldn't exist anymore… but in a world that doesn't exist can the impossible happen? She's seen enough to believe but can it be enough?_

_Supposed to be short and happen in between adventures with Mulan and Sleeping Beauty and what not as they explore the new lands of the Enchanted Forest. Since I have no idea what's going to happen next in show it's going to be vague on their location and where they are going._

_Enjoy!_

X.x.X.x

Emma gasped and sat up straight, her sudden intake of breath going un-heard by the other three, sleeping women. She looked around as the sound of the sputtering camp fire filled the otherwise silent air. Slumping back against the tree behind her, Emma's eyes continued to dart across the tree line of the clearing they had taken camp in. Emma still felt un easy, even as sleep tried to coax her back into darkness. It felt like… like there was someone watching her.

After forcing her heavy lids to remain open for another few minutes she couldn't help but allow them to slip close, the chill of that sixth sense still crawling on her skin, but she couldn't resist. However within moments she heard the noise that had brought her out of her sleep in the first place, the rustling of fallen leaves and branches.

Quickly pulling her revolver, which had once belonged to a certain late sheriff, she held it out in front of her while she slid up the tree. She planted her feet firmly in the ground as her eyes scanned the dimly lit woods. She was about to slide back to the damp ground but two eyes popped up in the dark of the bushes to the far left of her, the light of the fire catching them just right to make them glow in the night.

Pivoting slowly she turned to face it directly, her breathing picking up with her rapidly beating heartbeat. She was in an odd environment far from where she considered to be safe and it scared her more than she'd like. Taking a deep breath she pointed the gun at the creature the lurked in the darkness not even 3 yards from where she stood, her mother and two companions slept soundly behind her. She made a hissing sound and swung her armed hand around, trying to scare it off but instead it came from the brush and stood in the full light of the fire and she gasped at the beautiful creature before her.

A wolf.

In front of her, standing only a yard away now was a dark grey wolf with fur that shone in the moon and fire light. He seemed docile so Emma lowered her revolver slowly though her heart continued to pound in her chest, threatening to jump out and land at her feet. She wasn't sure what to do, scare him away or just let him go about his business but then he looked her right in the eye and something flashed through them… realization?

He barked once and she jumped a bit and stepped back but when she looked behind her, all three women remained deep in the sleep. "Ssshh," She scolded, "You'll wake them up." Again the wolf barked and this time danced around a bit before jumping back into the dark veil of trees and brush. "Well then…" She muttered and turned to go back to her tree but he jumped back out and growled, as though frustrated with her.

Spreading her arms out she huffed, "What do you want from me?" She asked, "Food? I don't have any food… even if I did I sure as hell wouldn't give it to you." She whispered harshly. She folded her arms and looked at the wolf, perplexed. "You know I haven't eaten in three days?" She mused as though talking to a normal person and he barked again in response. "Whatever, just go away." She huffed and moved closer to her tree but he growled again and she froze and waited.

Again he did a similar prancing around, "dance" thing before disappearing into the darkness of the woods. "You want me to follow you?" She called, bemused.

When there was a bark but not visual of the wolf she decided so. "I can't believe I'm doing this…" She breathed and grabbed a stick, tore the bottom part of her shirt and poured the remainder of her zippo lighter fluid on the strip before dipping it into the fire… making a successful torch.

The wolf stood on the edge of the tree line, patiently waiting for her and when she started to move towards him he wagged his tail and bounded back into the bushes. She sighed, taking one last look at her mother before following after him.

X.x.X.x

Bending over Emma braced her hands on her knees as she caught her breath, her torch starting to flicker now, getting ready to go out. "Where are you taking me…" she said between breaths but the wolf didn't even turn to look at her, just pushed through a wall of vines and leaves. She sighed and pushed through after him and what she saw after shocked her.

Emma stood in the middle of an oasis where the dark trees seemed to disappear and all that was left were spring trees, flowers, bright green grass, flowers and a crystal clear pool of water that sat at the bottom of a crashing waterfall – all lit up with the shining moon above. It was magical._ Magic…_ she laughed to herself and went to ask the canine where they were but realized shortly that he was gone. She spun in circles, "wolf-y" she called through cupped hands but he never came. So she walked forward, her torch snuffed out and forgotten on the ground by the entrance to the oasis.

Walking around Emma moved through the land she could easily call paradise only a fraction of her thinking that it could possibly be some sort of wraith trap but at this point she didn't care… it was so beautiful she sat by the water and pulled her boots off, slipping her feet in and sighing in relief at the cool feeling to brought to her aching feet – she'd been walking forever.

Her stomach growled at her viciously and she snarled back before looking around for a bush or tree that might give her hunger relief. When her eyes caught sight of a berry bush she smiled and walked over to it barefoot, her boots left at the edge of the pond. She sat down and ate them as she picked them, when the hunger feeling left her she continued to pick but just held them in the palm of her hand until she could hold no more. Once she had enough berries she went back to her place by the pond and laid down, her blond locks sprawling on the soft bed of grass. She sighed in pleasure as she lost herself in the magical place and closed her eyes, the bliss of sleep taking her finally.

X.x.X.x

"_Emma…" a voice whispered and she smiled her eyes blinking slowly as she turned her head to face the person of the voice."Emma I've missed you…" the voice called and she smiled when she saw him._

_Everything was blurred and slow motioned, even as she turned she could tell she was moving slower than usual. Everything seemed to have a ripple effect to the air… as though they were in water but she knew she wasn't._

"_Emma… you saved me… now come join me…" The voice dripped with a kindness she hadn't heard in over half a year - A kindness that still managed to break her walls faster than she could keep them up._

_His name barely rolled off her lips, her voice seemed thick in her throat and her tongue heavy in her mouth but she managed. He stood before her with an outstretched hand his face kind and loving just like she remembered seeing back in his office… moments before dying right in front of her – all Regina's doing she knew now._

_She could feel the tears filling her eyes as she reached for his hand, "Hurry Emma…" it urged her and her brows furrowed even as she continued to move towards him. "Join usss…" he hissed and she scrunched up her face._

"_Emma no! Wake up!" He called but this time Graham's lips didn't move, "Emma! Wake up!" The voice shouted again, but still Graham did not speak the words but it was his voice. As Emma started to look away, still sluggish, the Graham in front of her became hostile and lunged towards her. His face contorting into one that she did not recognize. _

"_EMMA!" The Graham's voice called._

"_JOIN USSS!" Graham called though he wasn't Graham anymore, he was an evil creature with pointed teeth and an angry contorted face. He was human but he wasn't at the same time; his hair was long and thick but it couldn't cover his pointed ears. The creature turned from a normal tanned color to a red tint, his eyes glowed gold like a wolf but was shaped more like a goat's eye. His nails grew long and pointed just as his tongue flicked out between his pointed teeth, like a snakes tongue. "JOIN US!" He hissed, low and distorted, like the voice of the devil._

_Emma felt a scream bubble up but she couldn't move away even as the not-Graham grabbed her arm, his claws digging into her skin and drawing blood. Just then she heard Graham's voice again as arms enveloped her from behind. "Emma, wake UP!" he shook her violently to pull her away, his voice loud in her ear as he pressed his face against hers when he shouted._

X.x.X.x


	2. Chapter 2

Finally she screamed and despite the panic that filled the air Graham sighed in relief. "Emma… you're okay… you're safe." He assured as he continued to pull away the vines that had been threatening to suffocate her, killing her for the death trap to feed on.

Emma shook violently and as he tried to pull her free of the vines she pulled back and once she was free she scrambled away, crab walking across the ground to get away from the spot she had almost been killed in and away from him. "Emma it's alright… you're safe."

"Y-you st-stay away from m-me!" She shouted, gasping and drawing in air.

Graham nodded, understanding her need to take a second to remember where she was. "Okay… alright…" he said softly and held his hands up in surrender. "Do you remember where you are?" He asked though he couldn't help but look at the berries she had squished in her right hand.

She risked a few looks back and forth, but always returning to his position to make sure he didn't attack. "What just happened?" She asked, her brows scrunched together a deep frown putting lines in her beautiful face.

"You ate the food…" He said lightly and she made a move as though to attack him and he flinched, "Okay okay… this is like," He thought for a moment. "well frankly it was a trap." He waited for her reaction and when she gave none he continued. "The sprites feed on human energy… those berries you ate are poisoned so that you fall asleep when you eat 'em." He drawled. "Once you're asleep they trap you and feed off of you… those vines you were held down by… they were about to take you."

"Take me…?"

He waved his hand in the air dismissively, "Feed off of you…" he corrected almost impatiently.

Emma chewed on her lip and continued to stare at him with a cold expression. "Who are you." She demanded to know.

"You don't remember me?" He asked, hurt lacing his words.

"Oh, I know who you're pretending to be…" she snarled and he saw hurt pass through her eyes, "but I know he's dead." Her voice cracked at 'dead' and she cleared her throat and repeated her last line with a stronger voice.

"Emma… it's me…" he said and started to scoot closer but she moved further away.

"I don't know _how_ you can get into my head… and why you –"

Graham sighed, "Emma it's _me._"

"Stop saying that!"

"How can I prove it to you?" He asked and slumped in defeat, lowering his hands as he did.

Her lip quivered and she tilted her head to the side in sadness, "You can't…" She breathed as she shook her head side to side, her head still slightly tilted to the right.

Without another word Graham rushed towards her and even as she scrambled to find her revolver he moved forward and in one motion brought her up to her feet, wrapped one arm around her middle, the other supporting her neck with his hand tangled in her long hair, with his lips on hers.

Emma pushed on his biceps for at first, trying to pull away but when Graham didn't change and start eating her face or "feeding on her energy" she realized soon that it really was Graham. She melted into him and kissed him passionately, hungrily.

When they parted Emma gripped to his vest desperately, praying he wouldn't vanish before her eyes. "Graham…?" She squeaked her hands pulling on his vest, he looked exactly like he did when he had died that day in her arms.

"It's me, love…" his Irish brogue seemed to emphasize his words even more and it made her heart sink low into her stomach and created a warm feeling even lower. She brought her hands to the side of his face, cupping both cheeks while she fingered his rough face gently.

"H-how?" She managed to choke but didn't give him a chance to speak when she leaned up and pressed her lips to his again, unable to resist the pull of his charming smile that he flashed her. Her hands snaked him his chest to his neck and into his curled hair at the nape of his neck, grabbing fistfuls at a time.

Graham groaned in pleasure and pulled her closer, "I've missed you…" he said against her lips and she smiled.

"You have no idea what you've done to me…" She said softly her voice rough but a tint of amusement sparked through her eyes as they pulled apart and looked at one another. "I…" She felt a sob escape her lips from where, she was certain was, nowhere.

"Och love, sshh…" he whispered and tucked her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on the side of her face when she leaned into his touch.

"Graham… when you died… I thought I wasn't going to be able to deal with it." She looked away from him for a moment before looking back at him with tear filled eyes, when one tear spilled over Graham brushed it away with his thumb before pulling her into a hug. Emma pressed her ear into his chest and listened to his firm heartbeat and felt more at ease. "You died in front of me, Graham… there was nothing I could do."

"I'm sorry, Emma… I'm so sorry…" He whispered genuinely.

She pulled away abruptly, "It wasn't your fault." She snarled and Graham instinctively took a step back. "This was all Regina's doing… _all of it!"_ Her hands were balled into fists as she continued. "She killed you didn't she… it wasn't 'heart failure' it was _murder_."

"Emma…"

"And I'm here because of her and those damn wraiths…"

"Wraiths?" He started and stepped towards her, "In Storybrooke?" She nodded, unsure what that meant to him. "No it's just… strange… how did they get there?"

"The same way that I saved Henry, how everyone got their memory back, how Jefferson's hat worked, how I got here…" Her chin quivered again and she embraced Graham again, "and how you're here… magic." She finished and they stood there for a moment before she pulled away again, though her hands continued to grab at his vests to ensure he didn't float away. "What happened to you?"

He shook his head, "The last thing I remember is," he blushed for only a moment before continuing, "seeing you smile and getting ready to kiss you again…" he shrugged and frowned a bit, "Then nothing… I remember smelling the woods and hearing the noises of animals around me but other than that…" He shrugged again. "Nothing up until a couple days ago…"

"You mean… you just woke up?" She asked, her brows furrowed and her usual "thoughtful" frown set into her lips. _You've been dead for a year…_ she wanted to say but decided he didn't need to know that… nor wonder if that's how long she'd been silently suffering over his death.

He nodded and looked around the cove they were in. "Followed a wolf here a day after I woke and I've been wandering around these parts ever since… I had a feeling I should stick around…" he flashed a bright smile down at her. "I know why now…"

She smiled as brightly as she had the moment before his death. "How'd you know about the berries? How'd you know not to eat them?"

"You forget, love, I'm from here." He smiled and she punched his arm lightly before hugging him again. Somehow Graham always brought out a part in her… that was much less guarded and more caring than any other time. He knew how to get under her skin and she hated it but loved it just the same, he was the only one who understood her well enough to be able to do that.

"You're as old as my mom…" She said suddenly and Graham pulled her away by the shoulders and stared at her.

"I'm sorry?"

She shrugged and smirked at him. "You're technically as old as my mom… who I'm as old as right now."

He made a face and screwed his lips to one side in thought, "Yeah I suppose that's a bit strange…"

_A bit?_ She wanted to laugh.

"but you're not a baby and I'm not really 20 years older than you… we're the same age." He shrugged and put a hand on the side of her face, his thumb following her jawline.

She smiled and nodded into his palm, "I know…" She looked around and realized they were still in what she now decided was heaven in hell. "Maybe we should go back to camp…" She whispered as chills ran up her spine. Nodding Graham waited until she pulled on her boots before guiding her out of the enchanted part of the woods. When they stepped into the normal woods she gasped, it was mid day. "How long was I asleep?"

"That's the question I asked myself…" Graham mused and looked up to the canopy of trees.

"A year…" She finally admitted to him.

"What?" He looked down at her with wide, startled eyes. She felt herself shrink a bit at his gaze and bit her lip before repeating herself. "I was gone for a year?" He asked and she nodded slowly as she stepped over a large root.

"I hope I was just gone for a night…" She said and thanked Graham when he held a branch out of her way so they could continue moving through the woods.

"That would make it better?" he asked and jumped over a small brook and held his hand out for Emma when he was safe on the other side. She took it and then jumped over herself, steadying herself with the help of Graham.

"Yeah, because that means that Mary Mar- Snow White… didn't leave thinking I was dead…"

"Snow is here?" He asked with wide eyes.

She nodded, "Yeah, she jumped in after me when I was brought through the hat." She explained and he nodded and pushed some bushes aside so they could step through and paused when they both stumbled into the camp with all three women standing in a huddle as they debated on the next course of action.

Snow looked up and began to scan the tree line when she caught a glimpse of the two standing on the edge of the clearing, hand in hand. "Emma!" She breathed and moved to her and embraced her.

"Sorry… I got a little distracted." She admitted and Snow finally seemed to notice the huntsman standing beside her.

"Graham…?" she breathed but a bright smile crept on her lips before she hugged him too.

"I'll explain later… but we should get moving." Graham smiled and looked down at Emma. "We should probably all get our stories straight though."

Emma took his hand and smiled before moving to help pack up their camp and get back on the road.

X.x.X.x

_Just some explanations in case you got confused._

_So the wolf was a common distraction for Graham and Emma because… well for Graham it's obvious but for Emma just because she knows that it meant something to Graham now (after reading Henry's book and learning more about her lost love)_

_When Graham died he was sent back to a land that wasn't really supposed to exist but since there is still a corner left he was sent there but he was frozen just as the rest of that corner was… until the magic was released and they were all set free. Confused her wandered around for a day before the wolf found him and tried to lead him to his death… he stayed there because he had that feeling but he never ate the food so he never got "fed on"_

_There… if you have any other questions feel free._

_This went in a completely other direction than I was planning so I'm sorry… but the other one was just going to be "Emma follows the wolf into a clearing and finds Graham there, unconscious. She goes to him and he wakes up they admit they love each other… they kiss and that's the end of it" and I got THIS instead… so whoa! Right?_

_Anyway…_

_I hope you enjoyed it… just some stupid stuff that popped in my head while I was writing and I decided to write it out in hopes somebody enjoys it. _

_So I hope you did…_

_Leave a comment with your thoughts please…_


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